Proof of Life
by Sora no Kioku
Summary: Fiona Belli befriends the castle maid, Daniella, and tries to find a way to complete her. In the process, she finds herself falling in love with the woman, who appears to have more emotions hidden within her than first thought. Rated M for lesbian sex in later chapters.


**A/N:** First of all, this story is not mine. In fact, it is my girlfriend's. However, she does not have a account and has instead given me permission to upload it here. The original can be found on deviantART, under the username IsuzooftheDesert. Spoilers will be present.

* * *

Fiona had noticed the pretty maid acting very oddly before dinner. She had gotten a little too close for comfort when telling her it had been served, and an eerie smile had been upon her lips. It made the young blond nervous... She had sat uncomfortably though the meal as the woman had stood beside her, telling her of how her creator had made her what he thought to be "the perfect woman", and how she did not find this to be so because she could not taste, or experience pain, or pleasure, for that matter. Fiona had been so scared that she had said nothing in return except for a "thanks for the meal" as she walked out of the door, her back never turning towards the woman.

As she had closed the door behind her, she had realized she was not feeling so well. She felt drowsy, and almost sick. A breif thought and a feeling of panic entered her mind at the same time. "Maybe the maid had poisoned her?" But she couldn't help herself. She felt an overpowering need to lay down and sleep. So she made her way painstakingly through the castle, back to the room she was staying in. Hewie followed close behind, as always. Once she made it to her bed, she fell asleep immediately, unaware of the danger she was about to be in.

As she slept, she dreamt. She dreamt of being away from this terrible place, back home. She dreamt of light and warmth and happiness, instead of the paralyzing fear she had been experiencing ever since she came here. But something was nagging at her senses, telling her to awaken... A tingling sensation across her skin that she slowly became more and more consciously aware of. Like a hand, brushing across her face, then her breast, then down to her...

She startled awake once she felt a hand firmly grip at her groin. At first she thought it must be the large man who had been following her before, convinced that she was a life-sized doll he could play with. But instead of his terrifying, distorted features, what she gazed upon as she awoke was the beautiful face of the maid. Somehow, this instilled even more fear in her heart than waking up to the man would have. The lavender-haired woman had a fascinated look in her eyes as she moved to look closer at Fiona's face, then moved away and turned her back to the girl. Fiona cowered against the wall, terror overtaking her senses. She didn't know why the woman had been touching her, or even what she wanted from her, but she was here now, and what mattered was what happened next.

The maid walked slowly over to the mirror near the bed, and then turned back to Fiona.

"I am not complete." And with that, she turned back to the mirror, to her reflection. Fiona slowly began to move off of the bed, wondering if she should possibly make a run for it. As she watched, the woman slowly began to smash her head into the mirror, cracking it, then breaking it against her forehead. Fiona felt a sickening feeling begin to well in her stomach. What on earth was she doing?

The maid yanked a large shard of glass from the remaining pieces of mirror, and began to sluggishly approach the young woman. Fiona knew what was to happen next, if she didn't do something fast. This maid was out to kill her. For what reason, she was completely clueless. The maid had been her only comfort until now, even though she was rather creepy, she was at least a woman, and she had seemed to have Fiona's comfort in mind.

Hewie came from behind, barking furiously at the threat. Fiona's mind raced. Should she run? That was what she would normally do in this kind of situation. But the small portion of her mind that still had logic said that she could reason with this woman, and honestly, she felt pity for her. Not being able to taste, or feel pain, or pleasure... Just doing her master's will all day long, whether it be cooking, or cleaning, or who knows what else, must be a terrible way to live. No one should have to live like that. She plucked up all her courage, and instead of running, she shouted, "Stop!"

The maid did as was told, a look of soft confusion in her eyes. Fiona breathed heavily, and folded her hands. "Please, miss... Just stop. Why do you want to kill me? What have I done to you?" She asked timidly. The maid's eyebrows furrowed slightly in anger.

"You have... The Azoth..." She replied, raising the glass shard again. Fiona threw her hands up.

"The what?"

"The Azoth... The essence... Of life... The essence of a woman..." Realization slowly crept into Fiona's mind. Whatever this "azoth" was, it apparently was the key to this woman becoming what she would consider "complete".

"Isn't there another way...?" Fiona managed to stutter. The woman lowered her hand, and stood still.

"Another...Way? There is no other way. There is no way at all. You have the azoth...I need the azoth to be complete..." She said, appearing as if though contemplating this thought.

"There must be! Listen, if you help me... If you protect me, rather than kill me, I can try and help you. I will do my best to find some other way to complete you, just please, please help me..." Fiona felt a lump grow in her throat, and finally she collapsed to her knees, sobbing. "I'm just so scared... Please, help me! I don't want to die, I want to leave here! Please, all I've felt since being here has been fear... Don't you understand how miserable life is for me right now? You aren't complete, but at least that means you don't have to feel the pain I've been going through! It's terrible! You must understand!" She choked out. The maid dropped the shard.

"Pain is proof of life... At least you feel alive, don't you?"

"Living isn't all good, though! Living is hard, painful, and terrifying,  
especially for me right now! I have no friends here, everyone seems to want to kill me, even though this is apparently supposed to be my castle! I don't want to live like this... I don't want to die, but I don't want to live like this, either! If it keeps up the way it's been going, I won't want to live at all anymore!" Fiona practically shouted now, pleading with the woman who could easily kill her right now. What she said was truth. She had never experienced as much pain and fear as she had been in the past few days of being in this horrific place. What she needed most of all was a friend.

The look on the lavender haired woman's face was one of confusion, surprise, and... was that pity? It was a subtle show of feelings, but it was enough to make Fiona think that perhaps this woman did indeed have a heart, and might actually end up helping her.  
"My name is... Daniella." She finally said, and held out a hand to the feeble girl who kneeled before her. Fiona cautiously took it, a soft smile now spreading across her lips. "If you promise... If you promise to help me, I will help you, too. If you promise that you will do everything in your power to complete me, I will help you get out of here. But if you cannot, I will kill you and take your azoth. Fiona nodded, though she felt a tingle of fear at Daniella's last words.

"O-okay... I guess that's... Fair enough. You were created by alchemy, weren't you?"  
"Yes."

"I've found many alchemic components throughout this place, along with machines and tools to create things with them. There must be something here that I can use, and put into you, to make you feel." Fiona reasoned. Daniella's face was now emotionless.

"I truly hope so."

It had been three weeks since that odd turn of events. Fiona had been searching high and low for anything she might use to help her new ally, but nothing as of yet had produced any results worthy of note. Daniella, despite Fiona's doubts and fears, seemed to be waiting patiently. Hewie, the white dog who had been Fiona's only friend and constant companion, was very wary of the maid at first, preferring to keep his distance, and at times, growling at the woman. But after seeing that Daniella meant no harm, he had begun to treat her with indifference.

Daniella had shown no emotion towards either of the two since that day, on the other hand. She had followed Fiona like a phantom, her cold eyes always watching her. It had began to make Fiona feel a constant sense of unease. She would look behind her, and there Daniella would be, watching, without a word.

Today, she had decided that she would try to speak with Daniella while she was in the room, cleaning, like she had made a habit of doing every day now. She had a thought in her head, a curiosity that ached to be quelled.

She sat down on the bed, and looked up at the woman, a hand stroking Hewie on the floor beside her. "Daniella?"

The maid stood up from a crouch, while wiping dust away from the phonograph that stood in a corner of the lower portion of the room. "Yes, miss?" She asked, in that smooth, emotionless voice of hers.

"Do you... Do you ever feel anything? I know you don't feel pain, or taste, or pleasure, but do you have... Emotions?"

Daniella smiled softly. "Sometimes... Sometimes, it appears like I do. Sometimes I feel sadness, or jealousy..." At this word, she paused, and looked at Fiona for a while. "Or anger. At least, I believe that's what they could be called. Fits of... Almost madness." Fiona felt a pang of guilt and pity. She knew why the maid had paused.

"You never feel emotions like happiness? Or excitement? Or..." She stopped herself before she said "love". It was pretty obvious that this woman had never felt such a thing as love before. Daniella shook her head.

"No, I have not felt such things."

"Oh..." Fiona stayed silent, feeling even worse for this poor woman. She decided that, if she could, that would be the first thing she would fix. Feeling nothing but sadness, anger, and jealousy, or nothing at all, should have driven her crazy by now. She wondered if maybe Daniella already was crazy. She suddenly got an idea in her head. Maybe Daniella just hadn't felt those things, because she hadn't had a trigger for them? She wondered to herself what could possibly trigger happiness in a place like this, and then it came to her. "Daniella, come here."

"Yes, miss." Daniella slowly walked her way over to the bed and stood before Fiona. The girl patted the bed beside her as an indication she wanted her to sit down. Daniella did so, reluctantly, her hands folded in her lap.

Fiona put an arm around the beautiful woman, who looked at her severely, and was trying to force herself not to push the girl, who didn't seem to mean harm, away from her. Fiona pulled her closer to her small frame, and put another arm around her in a somewhat awkward embrace. Daniella's eyes widened slightly. She had never had anyone do something like this to her before. It was an odd gesture, but strangely enough... Somewhat comforting. She felt the slightest spark of a pleasant emotion go through her, and it startled her enough to gasp.

Fiona held her tighter, and finally, Daniella let her arms lift and wrap around the girl in return, though the look of shock remained on her face.

"What... What is this called, miss?" She asked as they held each other.

"A hug! It feels good, doesn't it...? I don't know if you can feel it or not, but I know that hugging someone who I like always makes me feel better. I just thought that maybe doing something that I know makes most people feel good might trigger something in you. Did it?" Daniella found herself hugging the girl closer. At first, she had been highly reluctant to side herself with someone who she only saw as a spoiled little princess whom the master favored over she herself. Someone with the Azoth, the essence of life she craved so badly. But now she was finding herself doubting her first impression. This girl truly didn't seem as much of a spoiled brat as originally thought...

"I... May have felt... The slightest tingle of a pleasant something. I cannot be sure, but for a moment, I almost felt as if I was alive, and... Maybe what you consider "happy". Thank you, miss Fiona."

Fiona smiled. Maybe this wasn't going to be impossible. Maybe all she had to do was stop avoiding Daniella because of her fears about the maid, and start treating her as she would a friend. If a hug could do this much, at least, maybe the maid did have emotions, just locked away in the deepest recesses of her being. Perhaps alchemy wasn't the only thing that could fix this incomplete creation. She finally pulled away from the embrace, and smiled at Daniella.

"I think I have more ideas on how to help you, now." She stated. Daniella, oblivious to what she meant, simply stared back.

"You do? I'm glad to hear that, miss." Fiona frowned.

"Call me Fiona from now on, okay? Just Fiona. No miss. You're my friend now, okay? I only give hugs to my friends." Daniella nodded.

"Yes, miss- Yes, Fiona. You are my... Friend, now." She stared down at her hands, which were still covered in blood, and smiled, though her eyes had returned to being as cold as usual. Fiona noticed them as she looked where Daniella was looking, and felt disgust.

"As friends, I won't allow you to let your hands stay like that. Come with me now, alright?" Fiona stood up, and offered Daniella her hand. The maid stood on her own and bowed.

Fiona led her to where she knew the nearest bathroom was, and turned on the water faucet. A stream of cold, somewhat dirty water poured out. She took Daniella's hand, and put it under the water. She couldn't help but marvel at the softness of the skin, the warmth that came from it, despite being a being who was not born from a human body. She felt herself blush, but she wasn't sure why.

She smoothed her fingers over the skin, watching the cakes of blood fall into the sink and slowly dissipate into the water down the drain. She occasionally scrubbed with her short fingernails at a particularly difficult spot, until finally, the woman's hands were mostly clean, except for a remaining pinkish stain.

"Now, when you cook dinner from now on, I forbid you to cut yourself. You must be careful, alright? I never want to see your own blood on your hands again. " Daniella nodded.  
"Very well."

Fiona was about to say something else, when she noticed a low growl coming from Hewie. At the door stood a man whom Fiona recognized as Riccardo, the castle's groundskeeper. A gun was in his hand, and his hood concealed his face.

"Well well well, Daniella. What do I see here? Have you chosen to take the side of the one who holds the Azoth? The one who has what you do not?" He spoke in a somewhat amused voice. Hewie barked loudly at him, his ears folded back in aggression. "Quiet, you mutt!" Hewie whimpered, and slunk over to Fiona, his tail between his legs.

Daniella straightened. "Fiona is my... Friend. She says she will help me to be complete, without the azoth." The maid replied, though her voice held the slightest taint of fear. Riccardo laughed, loudly, maniacally.

"My dear Daniella, don't you realize? There is no other way! The azoth is the only way! I am a master alchemist, and even I have found no other way." He growled. Daniella said nothing, but moved to stand in front of Fiona, who was now flinching back in terror.

"You would defend her?! How dare you, you defiant fool!" The hooded man shouted now. "Fine... I will just get rid of you first, you worthless shell of a woman!" He raised his gun, and pointed it straight at Daniella's heart. Fiona shouted "No!" And pushed the woman out of the way just in time.

"Hewie, go!" She commanded her canine companion, who immediately sprang into action, leaping towards Riccardo and seizing the man's hand in his jaws. "Daniella, we must get out of here, now!" She grabbed the maid's hand, and took off running, while encouraging the dog to continue his attack. As they ran, she heard a yelp, and felt herself wince. Poor Hewie had taken a beating from the humongous beast of a man, Debilitas, when they had been trying to avoid him. And now, a man with a gun was threatening them. She felt sorry for the poor dog, but it was his choice to fight for her. She kept running, taking Daniella to a room which held a closet in which they could hide. She shoved the maid in first, and made a shushing sound at her before going in herself and quietly closing the door.

Riccardo came running into the room only moments later, and he searched it for a few minutes before running on. They had lost him. For now.

Once she was sure the coast was clear, Fiona opened the closet door, and looked around. "It's safe." She told Daniella, who came out behind her. The lavender haired woman stood silent for a moment, staring at the floor. She had been surprised when Fiona had pushed her out of harm's way. She didn't truly believe until now that Fiona cared about her well-being.

"You saved my life." She stated quietly. Fiona turned to her.  
"We're friends. That's what friends do. You were defending me, so why shouldn't I have defended you, as well?"

"I... Suppose you are right. But I didn't know you truly cared for me that much. I thought that perhaps, you might be glad to be rid of me. I threatened you, and I still do. I still say that if you cannot find a way to fix me, I will kill you and take your azoth for myself. Why would you do such a thing for someone who says she will kill you?" Fiona contemplated for a moment.

"Well, you are the only human in this place I can trust, even a little. Everyone else wants to kill me. Everyone else seems to be completely insane. But you still seem to have reason in your mind, and you said you would protect me. You did protect me. I like you, Daniella. I think that, if you can become complete, you will be someone very lovely." She replied finally. Daniella's eyes held shock once again, then she felt herself shaking. She was confused, and she was feeling something... Something that almost felt like deep sadness, a welling in her heart, but it wasn't. It was a feeling that made her lips curl upwards. She couldn't find what words to say. Instead, she took a step forward, and cautiously wrapped her arms around Fiona, like she had done only hours earlier. It was a silent gesture of thanks, and one that Fiona could recognize happily.

-  
From that day forward, Fiona made sure to keep her doors locked whenever she slept. She also had Daniella help her to affix an even more powerful lock to each one, just for extra security, and attach curtains to the wall in front of all the windows, so that no one could tell if she was in there from the outside, either.

She insisted that Daniella sleep in the same room, as well, for the sake of both of them. She sometimes would wake up to feel the maid's eyes on her from the extra mattress she had placed on the floor to sleep upon, though most of the time if she woke in the night, she could hear the lavender-haired woman breathing the relaxed breath of sleep. Apparently, despite being made from alchemy, Daniella had to sleep like any normal human, as well. That somehow comforted Fiona a little more, and made her feel less distant from the maid.

One night, she got out of bed and quietly approached the maid's slumbering form, sitting down next to it and simply looking over her delicate features in the soft light of the moon that peeked through a crack in the curtain. She was truly beautiful, with her pale skin, and lavender hair and lips. It was nice to be able to look over her without feeling the discomfort of those emotionless eyes upon her in return.

She softly let her hand explore the woman's face, stroking over her eyebrows and cheeks, then down to her hair, which was surprisingly silky. She realized that Daniella probably didn't bathe very often, if ever, noting the dirt and blood that was sprinkled upon her skin and clothes. She made a mental note that tomorrow, she would have her take a bath in the nearby restroom, if she could get the faucets working again.

She let her hand slip down Daniella's neck, to her shoulder, where it rested. The maid hadn't moved a muscle, but Fiona noticed that her breathing was no longer that of a deep sleep. She wondered if she was awake, but decided not to find out, instead getting up as quietly as possible and returning to her own bed.

Fiona was oddly fascinated with Daniella. She was very beautiful, and had a pleasant, if not alluring voice, despite it always being devoid of emotion. The girl wondered what she might be like when she was complete, or at least feeling emotion. She laid her head back on the pillow. She thought about how it would be when they could leave. They... Yes, Fiona had contemplated the idea of escaping with Daniella, just the two of them on their own. If Daniella wanted to go with her, she would take her. She could show her the world outside of this castle, show her what it's like to have many friends, maybe even a lover. She was very beautiful, it wouldn't be hard for her to find a man who would want her...

Fiona's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she felt a jolt of jealousy ring through her. Why would she be jealous if Daniella found a man? Perhaps it would simply be because she was the one who was completing Daniella. Perhaps she felt as if she had the right to claim Daniella as almost a form of property, like a mother sometimes did to her child. Or perhaps it was something else? The girl shut the thought from her mind. She was tired. She needed to sleep. The answers could come after she had found what Daniella needed.

-  
The next morning, after Fiona had changed out of her nightclothes and into her usual dress, she decide that she and Daniella should go into the castle to try and search for components again. She fed Hewie some jerky, waited for a moment as Daniella made their beds and got dressed, herself (Fiona had insisted that the woman wear some of the nightclothes she had found along with a few other pairs in one of the other bedroom closets). Fiona couldn't help but watch when Daniella undressed, looking over her near-perfect body, and the many scars and bruises that adorned it. It made her feel slightly nauseous, and then she remembered what she had been thinking about last night.

"Tonight, after we get done searching, you need to take a bath."

"A bath, Fiona?"

"Yes, a bath. You know, wash yourself? Like I did your hands, except your entire body." Fiona explained. Daniella stared at her a moment, and then nodded.

"As you wish. I will let you do so." Fiona blushed heavily.

"I-I meant you have to do it yourself, not that I'm going to give you a bath! Don't you know how to take a bath?" She stuttered loudly. Daniella shook her head. Fiona gaped for a moment.

"Well, alright... I guess I could show you how just this one time..." She looked away, still blushing. She had never touched or looked at another woman's nude body before, and she knew it was going to be awkward. She would have to touch Daniella in places that she had never touched or had been touched, herself. And she would have to be completely naked, herself.

"Miss, what's wrong?" The maid's silky, monotone voice came from across the room.  
"Huh? Well, I'm just embarrassed, I guess. I've never seen or touched a naked woman before, except myself, of course..." Daniella looked confused.

"Is it something that is not done often to normal people? Is it wrong?" She asked innocently. Fiona shook her head.

"It's not wrong... It's just, well, normally only lovers touch each other's naked bodies, or even look upon them, really..." She smiled sheepishly. Daniella's right eyebrow raised ever so slightly.

"Lovers? You mean as in those who take one another into their bodies. Who have sexual intercourse?"

"Err, well, yes, that's one way of looking at it. But lovers are usually, well, in love. At least, that's the way it's supposed to be." She explained. Daniella looked down at the ground. She was silent for a moment.

"Fiona... What is... Love? What does it feel like?" Fiona looked taken aback. She struggled to think about how to explain love to someone who didn't feel anything. Finally, she came to a conclusion.

"Love is... Well, love is wanting to take care of someone. Wanting to make sure that they are happy, and that they feel the best they can. Love is worrying about them when they are ill, or unhappy. Love is being happy just being around a certain person. It's also something that usually makes you want to have sex with them... But not just that, also kiss them, caress them, and hold them in your arms. " Daniella looked away.

"Does that mean you love me, miss?"

"W-what? What would make you think that?"

"Well, you held me in your arms... And last night, I felt you... Caressing me. Does that mean you love me? Is it even possible for two women to love each other?" She watched Fiona now, making her feel very awkward and uncomfortable.

"Err, well, it is possible for two women to be in love, though not everyone thinks so, or agrees with it... But I don't necessarily love you just because I give you hugs, and..." She swallowed and felt her face turn very hot. "Touched your skin."

"I see." Was all the maid said, and she turned away, towards the door. "We should be going, miss."

"Y-yeah... We should."

The two, with Hewie following, left the room. Daniella had a large iron bar that she carried now as a weapon, in case they came across Riccardo again. They made their way to a study that Fiona knew to be behind a hole in the wall that she had climbed through before. It held one of the machines that were used to create things with alchemy, and a book. Fiona had checked the other 2 rooms she knew of which were very similar, but both of the books, though holding information that she knew could be valuable at some point, did not have any immediate answers. She flipped through the pages of this one, now, sitting down on the chair as Daniella stood beside her. Hewie waited outside, guarding them.

Page after page was filled with what seemed like nonsense, until finally, she came across something interesting. It was a page filled with strange riddles as far as her mind went, but she could make out that the medicine that could be created from the instructions on this page was something that could be used to make someone's sense of taste very strong. Fiona didn't know exactly how that could normally come in handy, but she figured that it was worth a try to fix their current problem.

"Daniella, I think I found something!" She said. The maid peered over her shoulder to the text below. "We need... essence of zinc, vinegar, and horseradish. But I think, in order to make this into something that could become a permanent part of you, we would need a medallion of some sort." She stated, looking up at Daniella. The maid produced an object from within her dress.

"A... Magist medallion. This is one. I was given it by my creator long ago." She laid it out on the desk before Fiona. The girl smiled.

"Great! I bet we could find horseradish in the kitchen, along with vinegar! I don't know about zinc, though..." She got up, and began to leave the room, Daniella following close behind. When they got out, Hewie greeted them with a bark and a tail wag. Apparently, Riccardo hadn't passed this way at all. Fiona silently thanked God. She hadn't seen the terrifying man at all since their last encounter, nor did she want to.

Carefully, the two females made their way to the kitchen. In the cabinets, they indeed found the vinegar and horseradish, though they looked to be quite old. Fiona didn't think it would matter. She tucked the items away, and then thought about where she could find zinc. She wasn't even completely sure what zinc was, though she suspected that it was something they could find in pill form.

"Daniella, do you know of an infirmary-like place anywhere in this castle?" She asked. Daniella nodded.

"If you would follow me, I could show you to it..."

The maid led them on a long path through the castle. Apparently, where they were going was on the other side. It took them going down through the crypt, past the library, and into a door on the left side of a hall near an area where Fiona knew there to be homunculus roaming about. She was somewhat surprised, because Daniella seemed to know the exact way, but then again, she surmised, it must have been because she had been made to know every room, to do all the cooking and cleaning for the castle. She opened the door and bowed to Fiona.

"Right this way, miss..." She said. Fiona paused.

"I told you to stop calling me that, Daniella! It's Fiona, remember? And we are friends, not master and servant. You don't need to bow to me all the time." She giggled. Daniella appeared as if though she had been broken out of a spell, and a slight smile played at her lips.

"Ah... Yes. Forgive me, Fiona." She reached out and embraced the girl. Fiona was surprised by the sudden gesture, and blushed ever so slightly, but she smiled, and hugged her in return.

"What was the hug for?" She asked, as they pulled away.

"It was to show our friendship. I cannot feel, so I don't know what words to say. But I do know now that embracing is something that friends do, as well as lovers. So I held you to show that I am grateful for our... Friendship." She said, as if it should have been plain as day. Fiona just smiled. She was at least happy that Daniella seemed to be becoming more... Comfortable, she supposed? About the concept of them being friends.

"Oh, I understand. Thank you."

They stepped in, and Fiona set about searching the room. Finally, on one of the nearly empty steel shelves, she found a bottle labeled "essence of zinc". She was highly surprised, because there wasn't much left in this room at all, but she felt a wave of joy overtake her as she rushed back to Daniella and Hewie, who was sitting patiently beside her.

"I found it! Now, all we must do is..."

"Going somewhere, Fiona?" A male voice spoke from behind Daniella. Fiona shook with fear. It was Riccardo. He stood at the end of the hall, and just from his voice, she could tell he was smiling maliciously. Daniella brandished her iron rod, and Hewie snarled viciously.

"Leave Fiona alone." The maid said, her cold eyes fixed on the evil man.

"Hahaha! Leave Fiona alone? Oh, you poor woman. You are under her spell! What? Do you honestly think that girl cares about you? She's just using you!" He mocked, his gun not even drawn as he began sauntering slowly closer.

"Fiona is helping me. She treats me well. She... Embraces me." Daniella said. Riccardo stopped.

"So you think that just because that little brat lets you get close to her, it means she cares for you? Hah! You are a fool, Daniella. She is tricking you! Come back to the master's side... Back to my side. Help me take her azoth!" He ordered. Daniella lowered her weapon, a look of hurt seeming to flicker across her face. Fiona came out from the room, and took her hand.

"It's not true! I promise! He's lying, Daniella! Who are you going to trust? The one who I saw slapping you, who must abuse you and treat you like nothing, or me?" She asked softly, referring to the time she had seen Daniella being reprimanded through a keyhole in one of the doors. Daniella's eyes held a sudden fire, and a frown appeared on her lips.

"I will defend Fiona."

The maid ran forward with the iron rod right as Riccardo drew his gun. He wasn't quick enough. Daniella tackled him to the floor, and the man had to struggle with both hands to keep Daniella from pinning his throat with the weapon. His gun slipped from his grasp, across the stone floor. Fiona quickly ran over and grabbed it, then ordered Hewie to help Daniella. The dog barked, and grabbed the man's left arm in his jaws. Riccardo yelled out in pain, and moved his hand by reflex to hit the dog away. This gave Daniella the chance to smash the rod down upon his chest.

Riccardo seemed angry. He used all his strength to force Daniella off of him, blood streaming from his arm as he put his hand over his chest. Hewie leaped at him from behind, grabbing the back of his throat with his powerful maw. Fiona shouted encouragement and praise at him. Riccardo yowled, shaking his body to try to get the dog off.

"You damn mutt!" Finally, Hewie dropped to the ground, springing away as Riccardo, bleeding and angry, turned to face him. Fiona pointed the gun at him.

"Don't move." She said. Daniella, who seemed to be about to use this opportunity to knock him out with the iron rod, stopped and waited, watching Fiona.

Riccardo thew his hands up. even though he was a homunculus, he could die from a gunshot just as easily as anyone else. "Now, now, Fiona. Let's not be so hasty, shall we? Put the gun down, and perhaps we can talk this over?" He said shakily, trying to disguise his fear. Fiona just cocked the gun, and slightly tightened her hold on the trigger.

"Leave us be, Riccardo. Don't bother us anymore, and I'll let you go. That counts for Daniella, too. Leave her be. I don't want you to hurt or chase after either of us anymore. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Fiona. Just put the gun down." The man said. He seemed to be fairly sincere, but Fiona didn't trust him enough to put the gun down.

"Leave. I'm going to watch you with this gun pointed at you. Any funny business, and I'll shoot. Understand?"

"Very well." Riccardo agreed. He slowly walked, his hands still up, down the hall, with Fiona following him at gunpoint. She made sure he had gone far away down the hall before shouting after him, "No more chasing us, or I will kill you next time!" She saw Riccardo turn.

"As you wish, Fiona. But one day, your womb will be mine!" He yelled back, before he turned the corner and disappeared.

Once the echo of his footsteps had faded, Fiona collapsed to the floor, landing on her rear and holding her head with her hands. Daniella immediately came to her and sat down beside her.

"Are you alright?" Surprisingly, she sounded concerned. Emotion seemed to ring almost clearly in her voice. Fiona looked to her in surprise. Daniella froze, her concern turning to shock.

"What... What just happened to me?" She asked out loud. She put her hands to her heart. "I just felt something, Fiona... I'm still feeling it. It feels like... I need to know you're okay." She slowly turned her gaze to the girl sitting beside her. A big smile came to Fiona's face, where just a minute earlier, a look of exhaustion and terror had been.

"That's worry! You... You're worried about me?"

"I... Think that I am. Is that was this feeling is called?" She stared at Fiona questioningly. The blond nodded. "Please, tell me you are alright!" She almost shouted.

"I... I'm fine, Daniella. Thank you." Daniella visibly relaxed, and put her arms around Fiona once again.

"I felt that pleasant feeling again, Fiona... The one I felt when you first held me." The maid said, though all the emotion in her voice had gone once again. Fiona held the woman back.

"I'm glad, Daniella. I hope I can make you feel it even more in the future."

-  
They took the long path through the castle once again, this time not worried about whether or not Riccardo would be there. They knew they wouldn't see him again for a long while. He had been beaten, at least for now. Fiona gave Hewie some jerky again and crouched down in front of him, petting him and praising him for his good work in battle before telling him to "stay" and going back into the room through the hole.

It took a long time, and much careful work going according to the instructions in the book, but eventually, Fiona created the taste amplifier, and had infused it with the magist medallion. She had used more of the ingredients than the book had instructed, in case it would help more with Daniella's complete lack of taste. Finally, she handed Daniella something in a glass vial that smelled horrible, but glowed a pretty greenish color. The maid took it, and looked at Fiona.

"Go on!" The girl encouraged. Daniella took a few gulps of it, finishing it off without any trouble, despite its terrible smell. After a few minutes, Fiona pulled out a bit of mint that she had taken along with the other ingredients from the kitchen, and handed it to the woman. "Try this, and tell me if you taste anything. It should taste very refreshing, if you can finally taste it." Daniella took the herb, and hesitated a second before putting it in her mouth and chewing. "Well?"

"It..." Daniella paused, and her eyes grew wide. "I can taste it... I can taste it, miss Fiona!" She cried, a look of actual joy on her features. Tears were flowing from her eyes from the sheer bliss she seemed to be experiencing. Fiona watched as the maid chewed the rest, appearing unaware of the wetness on her face.

"I'm so happy for you, Daniella! What are you feeling?"

"I feel alive... I feel like that pleasant feeling has completely overtaken me. Miss Fiona, I can't believe it! You gave me taste!" She said, kneeling down before the girl and kissing the hem of her dress. "I am forever in your debt. I will never forget this. I cannot believe that it's possible!" Fiona reached down and stroke the woman's hair before kneeling down herself and hugging Daniella's sobbing body to her.

"It's the least I can do." She said as Daniella returned the hug, squeezing her tightly as the tears finally stopped flowing.

"Isn't crying something you are supposed to do when you are sad, though?"

"It is also something you do when you experience complete joy. You must have been very, very happy just now." Daniella nodded.

"I very much believe that is what I was feeling. But... It's going away once again..." Her voice had slowly began to lose the excitement and joy that it had been filled with before, and finally became its usual monotone at the end of her sentence. Her face, which had been lit up with the emotion, returned to its usual cold composure.

"It's okay. It's progress, right? You never felt joy before, or any good emotion for as long as you just did, aren't I correct?" Fiona comforted. Daniella shook her head.

"I've never felt anything like it, except for those flickers of pleasantness that I told you about before."

"So you see, maybe you don't need me to use alchemy for your emotions to return. Just the right triggers. I've been thinking about that for a while now." Daniella stared at her once again. Fiona felt a twinge of remorse at the loss of Daniella's emotions. She had truly enjoyed seeing Daniella act that way. She had been working towards it for so long, and now, it had already passed. She figured, though, that her longing to see her like that again would be good motivation to find the secrets to releasing the rest of Daniella's feelings, and to find the next two recipes for the potions they would need to give Daniella pain and pleasure. Fiona winced at the thought of Daniella feeling pain, however. She didn't want to give the woman pain, but she knew that Daniella wanted it. She wanted to feel alive, and pain, in her opinion, was proof of life.

She shook off the thought, and instead turned to the next task at hand. She had told Daniella that after they had searched, she would give her a bath. "Come now, Daniella. Now we need to wash all that blood and filth off of you."


End file.
